It remains to be seen whether James Dolan was serious when he said the New York Knicks would not enter the second apron next season. If he was, it significantly cranks up the stakes on the team’s draft picks, particularly at No. 24 and No. 31.
Rookie contracts have the potential to be cost-controlled goldmines. The combined cap hit for No. 24 and No. 31 would be a projected $4.7 million, assuming the 31st selection signs for the minimum. New York needs that kind of potentially impactful bargain even if it enters the second apron.
If the plan is to avoid it, those roster spots become more important. Filling them with newbies who, in particular, drum up wing and big-man depth would be paramount. After all, both Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet would be goners as any second-apron duckery.
Operating under the assumption Dolan isn’t bluffing, here are three worthwhile dice rolls the Knicks should consider at No. 24 and/or No. 31.
Dailyn Swain of the Texas Longhorns (Forward)
NBA Ceiling Comp: Kyshawn George-Nickeil Alexander-Walker hybrid
Dailyn Swain may not constitute a swing when all’s said and done. As Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman relayed to yours truly during a recent episode of the Hardwood Knocks podcast, people around the league are starting to believe he will go earlier than expected.
This makes sense. Everyone wants a 6’7” combo wing with decent length (6’10” wingspan). But Swain’s questionable jumper stands to hold him back. He shot just 20.4 percent on minimal three-point volume during his two years at Xavier, and then hit an okay-not-great 34.4 percent of his triples on just 2.6 attempts per game at Texas last season.
Thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns’ gravity away from the basket, the Knicks can accommodate a wing with a rickety jumper. Swain will have the space to showcase his driving and finishing game, and might see his efficiency from deep creep up by spending more time off the ball than he did in college.
Getting a chance to groom him on defense is worth the flier alone. He can be disruptive across 3 or 4 positions—a big deal in a vacuum, but an even bigger deal if the Knicks’ second-apron aversion costs them both Shamet and Mohamed Diawara.
Joshua Jefferson of Iowa State (Forward)
NBA Ceiling Comp: The Jalen Johnson of Kenrich Williamses
Joshua Jefferson has earned plenty of comparisons to Kyle Anderson. While understandable, they aren’t perfect. Jefferson hardly plays at warp-speed, but he works at a noticeably faster clip than Slo Mo.
Standing nearly 6’8”, with a wingspan of roughly 6’11”, his movement patterns are more analogous to a less-athletic Jalen Johnson. Like Swain, his jump shot will be the swing skill. Through four years of college, split between Saint Mary’s and Iowa State, he topped out at 34.5 percent on 3.1 attempts per game.
New York has proven with Josh Hart it can plan around versatile wings with turbulent jumpers. Jefferson has real shot-making and passing craft going downhill, will keep the ball swinging around the perimeter when dotting the arc, and is a deflections dynamo at the defensive end.
Trevon Brazile of Arkansas (Forward/Center)
NBA Ceiling Comp: Obi Toppin meets Nicolas Claxton.
Prospective Mitchell Robinson replacements have skewed toward truer, more physical bigs. Trevon Brazile is a wiry tweener big. As a five-year college player, there’s no guarantee he gets much stronger.
Brazile makes up for some of the physicality drop-off with his effectiveness playing off two feet in the paint. He has flashed all different types of finishing when he reaches the basket, which should happen more often working alongside a tactician like Jalen Brunson.
The 24-year-old also has real stretch. He needs to shoot more than the 4.2 threes per 36 minutes he averaged as a senior at Arkansas, but he downed around 40 percent of his unguarded spot-up treys.
Whether Brazile can be a full-time center is debatable. He’s listed at just 6’9”. But a wingspan of nearly 7’4” allows him to blow up plays at the rim and in passing lanes, and he’s hinted at nascent driving abilities in the open floor.
Ideally, the Knicks would re-sign Robinson, then look at Brazile in the second round as a third big. If they view the second apron as the Bogeyman, though, the bouncy youngster does just enough to be looked at as a more prominent stab in the dark.
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